


Robin Hood's White Knight

by Luna Draconis (LunaDraconis)



Category: Leverage
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Cutesy, D/s references, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 19:27:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12327336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaDraconis/pseuds/Luna%20Draconis





	1. Meeting Robin Hood

### Mariah

I _hate_ these events. All the schmoozing the rich folks for funding, all the ass-kissing in hopes that your program will actually survive for another season... It's all bullshit. The only upsides are the excuse to dress up fancy and the food. I took a sip of the champagne, letting my eyes wander around to see who I hadn't spoken to. The athletics department may be funded to the moon and back, but the theatre department needed all the help it could get.

A man making his way slowly through the crowd caught my eye. He filled out his suit nicely, his hair tied back, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. He looked comfortable as he wove through the crowd, but for some reason it felt like he didn't belong. The director in me started cataloging his appearance, trying to pinpoint why he didn't fit in the scene. If he hadn't interested me so much, I probably wouldn't have caught it; he was stealing from them. A ring here, a necklace there... most of them wouldn't care - hell, some wouldn't even notice they were light a ring - and all of them could afford to lose it. But why? Why steal, when he seemed like he could afford to live at least a moderate life without it? I couldn't help but wind closer, tracing him through the crowd. I kept socializing as I went, so that if he noticed me he wouldn't think anything of me.

He finally broke loose from the crowd, and ducked around the corner. I followed, careful to stay out of sight. I heard him say something about how the money would help the orphans. _Well, hell, I can't be mad at that. I mean... He's a modern-day Robin Hood._

I made my way back to the party, where he rejoined the floor moments later. He continued to work the crowd, and I headed for the ladies' room.

As I washed my hands, I thought about the man I'd seen. _Where do I sign up for one of those?_ I laughed as I headed back out for a final round of schmoozing before I called it a night. Just in time to see "Robin Hood" himself ducking into the Senator's office. I'd been in there earlier discussing the importance of the theatre program, and while it was perfect for privacy, I didn't think there was anything worth stealing... That's when I heard the pounding footsteps. Apparently Robin Hood had been seen. Unfortunately, the Senator was a paranoid man, and thus had no windows in his office - to make it harder to assassinate his paranoid ass. Which begged the question: did I really believe in what he was doing?

...

Yes. Yes, I did.

I dropped to the floor, then picked myself up slowly as the guards came around the corner. "The man he- he went that way!" I panted, pointing down the hall. The security guards didn't even hesitate, continuing down the hall at top speed. I waited until they'd turned the next corner, then knocked on the door. "You can come out, now. They're gone." 

The door eased open, and Robin Hood peeked out, eyes sliding down the hallway before he came all the way out. He eyed me, looking confused as hell, then opened his mouth to speak.

I beat him to it. "Go get 'em, Robin Hood." And then I sailed off into the sunset (aka the party), leaving him gaping in my wake.

### Eliot

By the time I'd made it back to headquarters, I decided not to mention the woman from the party. Her comment about "Robin Hood" was disturbingly close to the mark, but after what she'd done, I didn't think she'd say anything. It was strange all around, but it was nothing we couldn't handle if it became a problem later.

Besides, I'd never see her again.


	2. Red String

## Months Later

### Mariah

_Why'd I have to choose today of all days to go to the bank?_ I thought from the floor. _Of all the banks in all the world, I had to walk into this one._

I'd almost made it out the door before the robbers pulled the guns out. They'd had us lay on the floor, and taken our cell phones. Well, that was the theory, anyway. I'd just upgraded from my antique of a phone to a newish iPhone, so I had given them my old flip-phone. I wasn't going to just hand over my $400 investment. I'd worked hard for that!

The five-man team had been moving oddly, and I'd figured out after a few minutes that they were keeping their faces away from the camera, their ball caps helping them manage it. It was subtly done, but adjusting the stage lights to hit the musketeer's faces during last year's production of Cyrano had made me hyper-aware of the dangers of hat brims.

And so began my idiocy... of the day... Okay, of the hour. I set my iPhone to record, and hid it behind a desk leg, the selfie set-up letting me adjust it to capture the robbers' faces. I left it to record and upload to my SD card until either the phone died, or my card ran out of space. If nothing else, it'd capture the faces of some of the robbers, filling in the info the security cameras didn't catch.

But I wasn't the only idiot of the day. There was a woman next to me, not much older than I myself, who began talking to one of the robbers. She was subtly trying to manipulate him into letting her go down the hall to the bathroom, likely because from there she might be able to escape. She was doing rather well, but then began to push too hard. I could see his face shifting as he turned on her, and made it to my feet before he had his gun trained on her. "I'm so sorry-" I interjected, "she didn't mean anything by it, she just can't mind her own business-" _Like somebody else I know..._

"You know her?" He asked, looking between us, skepticism clear in his face. The woman had a British accent, and I was American as they come.

"Yeah, she's my sister-in-law. She's only down here to see me." I started planning details in my head, creating a character for her to step into. I didn't want to go too in-depth in what I said, since it's a common trait when people lie, but it'd help me keep details straight. "Please, she shouldn't even be here." I turned to her, then, "You should sit down, sweetie." I glanced at her stomach. It was more subtle than telling him she was pregnant, but he was watching us intently, so I knew he'd notice. And since I didn't tell him outright, he'd (hopefully) feel less like I was lying. Bonus points for people being less likely to shoot a pregnant woman.

She sat down at last, and I sat back down next to her. I waited until eyes were off me before glancing at my phone. It was still recording.

### Eliot

"Where the hell is Sophie?" Nate asked, pacing again. He finally turned to Hardison, "Pull up the security feed in the bank. She was just casing the place; it shouldn't take this long."

Hardison turned back to his computer, typing away. Seconds later, the fuzzy grey feed filled the monitors. And silence reigned.

The bank, which we were planning on using to fake out our mark, was being robbed. We scanned the faces of the people, looking for Sophie. Sure enough, she was sitting on the floor, her back against one of the desks. And next to her... "It can't be," I breathed.

"What?" Nate's eyes turned on me.

"The, uh, the girl, next to Sophie? Ran into her on that job in D.C.. On my way out, I ran into the wrong room, got trapped. She sent the guards runnin' down the hallway, then gave me the all-clear."

"Why?" The word was drawn out, long and slow. 

"I don't know. She called me 'Robin Hood,' but I dunno how she knew what we were doing."

Nate turned to Hardison. "Run her through facial recognition, see if she's a fed."

"On it." He began typing furiously.

"And why are we only hearing about this now?"

"Man, what d'you want from me? I'd never seen her, and if she was gonna turn me in, she could've done it then."

Nate shook his head, but before he could reply, Hardison broke in. "Got her. Born in a tiny town in Montana, works as a Professor of Theatre at the local University. Studied in Norway for 7 years, but other than that... Not seeing anything special?"

"Sound?"

"No-can-do." Hardison replied. "There's no mic on the cameras, and I haven't put any of mine in."

"Sophie's comm?"

"She didn't put it in; said there was no point."

"Fantastic." Nate turned back to me. "Your girl better not mess this up."


	3. Courtly Love

### Mariah

_I officially hate people. All people._ We'd been sitting in the bank for 30 minutes now, and I use the term "sitting" loosely. People kept opening their damn mouths to complain, and it was pissing the robbers off. I kept trying to diffuse the situation (plenty of experience with drama queens at my back), but the robbers were definitely getting fed up with me now, too.

The woman - I didn't dare ask for her name, what with our cover story - kept telling me we'd be okay, that the people she worked with would notice she was missing. It was meant to be soothing, but missed the mark. After all, what could her coworkers do, when the police weren't even aware of what was going on yet?

I checked my phone again - dead. Well, it should have plenty of evidence for the courts, if we could survive that long. Another man started getting up, so I had to, too. _Oh, boy, here we go again._

### Eliot

_Sit down, damn it._ I resisted the urge to pace. All those years getting beat, and this was the worst torture. _What the hell is she doing? If they don't kill her, I will._

Nate had proposed several plans to get Sophie out. I'd shot them all down. The girl, Mariah, had covered my ass. I wasn't going to leave her in there.

Nate finally spun back to me. "Okay, Plan H..."

### Mariah

I made it back to my seat, but if I kept having to get up.... Who knew. I was feeling a bit shaky after that last conversation. The robbers were running out of patience, fast, and I wasn't sure what else I could do. I retrieved my phone from its' hiding spot, slid it in the pocket of my jeans with my headache pills. Which gave me an idea. I pulled it out, and moments later was sliding it back into my pocket, only to have the nearest robber see it.

"Bitch has a fucking phone!" His gun was trained on me in a second, and I could swear my heart stopped.

"DON'T SHOOT HER!" Their ringleader yelled.

"But she has a phone-"

"Armed robbery is one thing, murder's somethin' else. If we have to kill someone, fine. But I don't want to risk anything more than I have to."

"I can't believe you're going to let her get away with-"

"I didn't say that. She's not going to get away with anything. I just said we wouldn't _kill_ her." The leader stalked toward me, and I resisted the urge to swallow. "I think we should make an example of her, make sure everyone shuts the fuck up."

_Shit._


	4. Worse Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This... this chapter gets pretty rough. Trigger warning: intended rape, physical/mental abuse.

### Mariah

As it turns out, there are worse things than death. Death may not be quick, but it's finite. Torture, however, is not. It can live on in the mind long after it's "over." 

The lead robber grabbed me by the hair, and dragged me out into the center of the room. It was painful, but bearable. I'd had worse. Once he had everyone's attention on me is when the true suffering started. He pulled a switchblade from his pocket, and started cutting my clothes off of me. 

Piece by piece, I was stripped down, everyone's eyes on me. He wound his fingers into my hair, then jerked my head back, forcing me to arch my back to protect my neck, exposing me to the other hostages. I heard several people cry out, could see in my peripheral many people turning their heads away. I kept my mind focused on staying strong, on not crying out, even as he forced a whimper from me.

His tongue left a slimy trail up the side of my neck, and I gagged. _Hold it together. You're stronger than this..._

### Eliot

"Doable." I nodded. 

"Shiiiiiiiiiit..." Came from behind me. I looked at Hardison, then at the screens he'd been watching. Mariah was now at the center of the room, naked. She'd been thrown to the ground, and took a kick to the ribs.

Red.

Everything was red.

"Eliot-" Hardison says, turning to where I was. But it was too late. I'm gone.

### Mariah

 _I think he just broke my ribs... hurts more than the last time that happened._ I tried to crawl away from the beating, making my way into a corner. _At some point, they're going to have to stop... right?_

Another blow. I whimpered, my hand finally making contact with the wall. I curled into the fetal position, trying to protect myself. _Everything hurts._

I heard him unbuckling his belt. I hoped he'd just whip me with it, rather than raping me... It's a startling thought, that I'd rather be in pain than raped. I suppose it's because pain fades with time, while a memory as dark as rape... Well, that never leaves you.

The zipper sounded eerily loud. The world became darker than it was a second ago. Congrats, Pandora, hope's gone now, too.

Footsteps. I flinched.

No strike came.

No touch at all, in fact.

I slowly looked up. 

_... Robin Hood?_

### Eliot

She blinked up at me, her body curled inward still. I pulled my jacket off, and dropped to my knees. I held her eyes, and pulled the jacket around her shaking shoulders. _Maybe she doesn't remember me?_ Her hands peeked out of the jacket, grabbed the lapels, and pulled it tightly around her. 

Sirens finally filled the air. Two hours after the robbery began, they'd finally realized something was wrong.

I opened my arms, hoping she'd let me carry her out. There was no way I was going to let the cops grill her after what she'd been through. "Come on, Maid Marian."


	5. All for One

### Eliot

I had Sophie handle the police while I carried Mariah back to headquarters. She was silent the whole way, though she'd stopped shivering by the time we got there. I set her down on the couch, and had to resist the urge to yell at anyone who came too close to her. I trusted my team, but I didn't want her to be overwhelmed after the day she'd had.

Sophie came to the rescue, telling everyone they needed to give her space, since she'd just had one hell of a scare.

I knelt in front of her, making sure not to touch her. Last thing she needed was some man touching her after the day she'd had. I was sure she'd only let me carry her to get her out of there. "You probably don't remember me. My name's Eliot. You covered for me in D.C. at a party..." _Not the important part._ "This is Parker, Hardison, and Nate. And you've met Sophie. You're safe here. We're gonna keep you safe."

"All but one of them got past the police, but we'll make sure they pay for today." Sophie explained. "They're going to go away for a long time."

 _Maybe forever,_ I added in my head. No point in scaring her.

She opened her mouth... and reached two fingers in, pulling out a tiny ziplock bag. "Then you'll probably want this."

### Mariah

I smiled shyly. They just stared at me. "Well?"

"What is that?" Robin Hoo- No, wait... _Eliot_ said. 

"The memory card from my phone."

They continued to stare at me. I began fiddling with the sleeve of Eliot's jacket. _Okay, maybe I'm not as smart as I thought I was?_

"What's on the card?" The one Eliot had called Hardison asked.

"I recorded the robbery." More silence. "Okay, so I only got part of it on here, but I got all of their faces! Which... I mean, it should be useful, right? I've never been involved in an actual court case."

"You recorded the robbery." Eliot was looking at me funny.

"Yeeesss?" _Obviously?_

"Even though there was a security camera."

"They were keeping the camera from seeing their faces." I was still shaky, but the fact that I'd noticed made me a little smug.

"What d'you mean-"

"She's right." Hardison cut in again.

"What?"

"They kept their faces hidden from the cameras. There's not enough to ID them from the footage the bank has."

"But there is on this." I gestured with SD card, quietly triumphant. I may have gone through hell, but I sure as shit was going to make them pay for it.

"When did you- HOW did you-"

"I gave them my old phone, then set my new one up to record. I had the baggy for my headache pills, and I was going to tuck it into my shoe on the off-chance they searched me... But when they grabbed me, I put it in my mouth."

"That's why you were so quiet when they were- Well..." The woman, Sophie, said.

"If I screamed, they'd see the card... And everything would've been pointless."

"I think we should keep her." The blonde, Parker, finally piped up.

"... She'd make a good mascot," Hardison added after a moment.

"She is _not_ going to be our mascot." Eliot growled at them.

 _Well...._ "I would be if someone got me pants?"


	6. For the Love of Hanzo

### Mariah

The team let me laze around for the next few days, while they were out working the case. In some ways, it was a nice opportunity to sit and think. In other ways... not so much. 

I'd set up camp in Eliot's office (not that he knew that, since they'd all been out since the first day), and helped myself to his spare clothes.

I was just contemplating seeing exactly how much porn I could download onto Hardison's 3TB external hard drive without him noticing, when someone came through the front door. 

I scampered back to my makeshift bed (which I'd set up underneath Eliot's desk like any mature, responsible adult), where I'd secreted all the weapons I'd found in Eliot's office... Though I had the sneaking suspicion there were more. I tucked a couple of knives into my borrowed sweatpants' pockets, then grabbed the katana I'd been lusting over ever since I found it. I unsheathed the sword, holding it behind me. In all honesty, the knives were overkill. First off, I'd trained with a bokken for half my life, and the katana was comfortable in my hand. Besides, if whoever was breaking into the offices was able to take it from me, I was likely dead anyways. _What a comforting thought._

I slipped down the hall, listening for footsteps, but hearing none. The ticking of the clock was starting to wear on my nerves as I rounded another corner.

And there was the intruder.

I brought the blade down in a yokomen cut, only to find myself being pulled into a rather familiar technique that I'd done just the week before at the dojo. I used my size to advantage, and pulled out of the technique, looking for another opening. The sword clattered to the floor, and I had just enough time to think that was a decidedly stupid decision before a hand closed around my wrist. Years of training kicked in, and katate dori shiho nage just sort of _happened_ , and the next thing I knew, my attacker was staring up at me from the floor. 

_Oh, shit._ "HOLY SHIT, are you okay?!" I released Eliot's hand, and he just stayed on the floor, blinking at me. _Oh my heck, I think I broke him..._ "El-Eliot?" I poked his shoulder. 

"What was that for?!" He was still lying there, and one side of his mouth was twitching suspiciously.

"WHY WERE YOU SNEAKING AROUND?"

"I wasn't, I was just walking... Why were _you_ sneaking around?"

"I heard someone come in, and you didn't freaking _say_ anything, so I didn't know it was you! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?" I shot back.

"I thought you might be sleep- wait. Is that... Is that _my_ sword?"

And then she got an idea. An awful idea! The Mariah got a wonderful, awful idea! "Not anymore." And with that, I grabbed the sword and ran, sheathing it as I went.

I slid around the corner, katana clutched to my chest.

"Bring that back! That's my Hanzo!"

"Holy fuck, this is a Hanzo?! I've always wanted one of these!" I flew around the corner, making it to the front door of the offices just as it opened.

 _FREEDOOOO-ACK!_ An arm looped around my midsection, and I was pulled backwards through the air, Eliot growling behind me.

"What's going on?" Hardison stared at Eliot and I, taking in the arm wrapped around my waist and the katana I was holding above my head in hopes of keeping it out of Eliot's reach.

"We never should have given her pants, that's what's going on." Eliot grumbled at him, hand reaching in vain for the katana. "Now she's taking anything that's not nailed down."

"Finders keepers," Parker said as she brushed past Hardison.

"You don't get a vote." Eliot said.

Hardison finally unfroze and started walking toward the kitchen. "I'll make popcorn."

### Eliot

It's a bit terrifying to come home to someone worming their way into your life, and being okay with it. I carried Mariah back to my office, only to find a make-shift nest under my desk. Knives and other weapons were carefully laid out around a sort of bed, with a laptop and plethora of snacks within reach. 

"What's this?"

Mariah tried again to escape before answering. "I may or may not have made a fort. Like any responsible adult would."

"There's a couch--there's, there's something wrong with you."

She went stiff under my hands, then mumbled something.

"What? I didn't catch that."

"I needed a defensible position." She muttered.

And, looking at it now, it all made sense. The area was enclosed, she could hide by pulling the ends of the blanket under the desk, she was surrounded by weapons she could use, and she had food in case she had to barricade herself in the room. She even had a way to call for help.

I finally looked at her - really looked at her - and saw the things I'd missed.

We might be great at reading marks, but we'd failed to read her; she'd been understandably terrified after everything that had happened at the bank, but we'd left her alone in an unfamiliar place. 

I set her down, and carefully pried the Hanzo from her grasp, while she grumbled. Then I bent down and tucked the sword under the desk, next to her blankets. "Go to sleep."

I sat down against the wall, next to the door.

"What?"

I leaned my head against the wall, and closed my eyes. "It's hard to sleep after- after some things. Especially alone, in a strange place. But I'll be right here. Get some sleep."

I could feel her eyes on me for another minute, then I heard the blankets rustling. 

My eyes shot open as a blanket was draped over me, and I watched Mariah scamper back to her nest. She moved the sword so that she could draw it easily as she sat up, in case she needed it, and even tested to make sure that she could do it. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep, her hand curled around the hilt.


End file.
